Randoms

I love singing in my car. Love it. Only when I’m alone, though — and I hate when other drivers catch me singing. Sometimes when that happens, I pretend I’m using my phone on speaker and I’m really talking, not singing. I can be a rapper, Mariah Carey, a drummer, a backup singer for John Mayer who he’s secretly sleeping with, and a member of Rage Against the Machine in my car.

When someone asks me who my favorite author is, 9 times out of 10 I say Shel Silverstein. The man was a genius. I still read “The Giving Tree” and cry a little bit. I have all his books and can recite several of his poems by heart, including “Sick“. What an imagination.

The sound of a choir singing gives me goosebumps, especially when it’s upbeat, passionate music. Even if it’s the choir in Madonna’s “Like a Prayer“. There’s just something about it. I’d like to go to a church that has a choir like that.

When I am picking a friend or family member up from the airport, I loo-o-ooove greeting them in a dramatic manner. When I spot them, I squeal, run to them and embrace them like we haven’t seen each other in years, even if they were only on vacation for a week or a business trip for a day. It makes people around us wonder what our story is. I think it also warms people’s hearts, because I know it warms mine when I see that. And I also wonder if they’re faking it to be funny too. If they are, kudos.

When people don’t use their blinkers, it drives me nuts. On a positive note, I love stopping for pedestrians. I don’t care if they still have a couple feet before they reach the crosswalk and people behind me are honking — I like when the people crossing smile/wave at me for stopping for them. Makes me feel trés bien. I should be a crossing guard.

Amanda Talar

12 Responses

re: airport scenes – it’s true… I was waiting for my Mom once with my 3 year old and she watched parents squeal and run and jump to greet their son (I presumed) and my daughter asked me if she could go hug him too – everyone enjoys such showers of affection in your everyday moments.

I love to sing AND dance in my car while driving. Loudly and badly. I was blaring “I want to be a Billionaire” a couple of weeks ago when the DJ came on and said something like she knew we were all turning up the radio and singing along at the top of our lungs to that song. It was like, “whoa! she’s in the car with me.” At any rate, I’m having so much fun in my car that whenever you’re driving in the Schenectady area, you might want to watch out. 😉

totally agree on the blinkers and the pedestrians. last time i went to Florida i had the opportunity to drive to the store, and couldn’t BELIEVE how no one uses a blinker!

as for the airport greetings, you should have been there when i picked Joe up for his leave. i was waiting with such anticipation as one soldier, then two, then three came off the plane….i was bouncing and pacing. he, of course, waited to be one of the last people off the plane, and i ran at him so hard i almost knocked him over. I’m sure i looked like a total tool while i waited, but it was worth every minute to be able to greet him right at the gate!

RE: Airport moments — I once had a tearful good bye in an airport. We kissed, cried, whispered “I love you,” etc. It was pretty much right out of a movie. When my plane stopped at another airport for a lay-over, a guy approached me and said, “You broke her heart.” 🙁

@Faith – those are my favorite airport moments to watch – and then I start crying when I see the soldier getting greeted by his friends & family. I kind of want to go over and say thank you, but I dont’ want to intrude.

@Amanda – thanks now I have Madonna on my internal Ipod – except its a version where my former roomie is singing it at the top of his lungs and I’m hysterical laughing. Thanks for the memory 🙂

Wow. Separated at birth apparently. I love the Madonna era, can recite “Sick” and about a zillion other Shel poems, non-blinker users drive me crazy, and singing in the car should be a new profession then you and I could both get rich. Haha.